The Nevada Republican and Democratic Parties are holding their caucuses on Saturday 19 January 2008. Nevada has 33 Democratic delegates and 34 Republican ones. Presidential election primaries and caucuses are two different methods that political parties use to let party members (voters) select the presidential nominee. Voters do so by selecting delegates to the party's national convention. Only 13 states still use the caucus method for selecting convention delegates.
2008 Results
County Caucuses Democrats- Clinton - 50.71%, 12 delegates
- Obama - 45.20%, 13 delegates
- Edwards - 3.74%
- Romney - 51.11%, 17 delegates
- Paul - 13.73%, 4 delegates
- McCain - 12.75%, 4 delegates
- Huckabee - 8.15%, 3 delegates
- Fred Thompson - 7.94%, 3 delegates
- Rudy Giuliani - 4.31%
- Duncan Hunter -- 2.01%
What Are Caucuses?
A caucus is the lowest level meeting of members of a political party where members discuss issues and select precinct representatives. During President election years, members also select delegates to attend the party convention. Caucuses are considered grassroots events because they are held at the precinct level; venues may be school gymnasiums or someone's living room. Wyoming has about 23 counties holding caucuses.Who Participates?
Any registered voter can participate in a caucus. Parties require that voters re-register as a party member; a voter can attend only one party's caucus.Republicans separate candidate preference from convention delegate selection. After everyone has had a say, attendees vote in a straw poll (paper ballot, counted by hand) to determine the winner. The attendees then select delegates, who do not have to declare which candidate they support.
What Happens At A Caucus Meeting?
Caucus meetings are personal -- no voting machines here. The precinct chair will convene the meeting; those attending discuss the various candidates who are seeking the nomination. They may also discuss party platform issues. After everyone has had their say, there's a vote, which is usually public (viva-voce); however, Republicans often use ballots.What Happens Next?
The press reports a "winner" based upon the percentage of delegates won by each candidate. History suggests that how well candidates meet or exceed expectations may be as crucial as an actual "win."For Democrats, Saturday 23 February 2008 will be the follow County Conventions. Each County Convention chooses delegates to the Nevada State Democratic Convention, Friday 18 April - Sunday 20 April 2008.
For Republicans, the County Conventions are Wednesday 5 March 2008; the state Republican Convention is Saturday 26 April 2008 in Reno.
Caucus History
Results from the 1996 Republican primary:- Bob Dole - 51.86%
- Steve Forbes - 19.24%
- Patrick "Pat" Buchanan - 15.16%
- None of The Above - 8.55%
How Did Nevada Vote In Past Elections?
- 2004 : Bush (R) 50.47% ; Kerry (D) 47.88%
- 2000 : Bush (R) 49.52% ; Gore (D) 45.98% ; Nader (I) 2.46%
- 1996 : Clinton (D) 43.93% ; Dole (R) 42.91% ; Perot (I) 9.47%
- 1992 : Bush (R) 34.73% ; Clinton (D) 37.36% ; Perot (I) 26.19%
- 1988 : Bush (R) 58.86% ; Dukakis (D) 37.92%
- 1984 : Mondale (D) 31.97% ; Reagan (R) 65.85%
- 1980 : Carter (D) 26.89% ; Reagan (R) 62.54% ; Anderson (I) 7.12%
- 1976 : Carter (D) 45.81% ; Ford (R) 50.17%
